Menemen

The day before I ran the Brighton Half Marathon, the carb-loading nearly pushed me over the edge. In order to avoid carb-induced meltdown, I whipped up a quick dish of peppers and eggs, inspired by the Turkish dish menemen.

In this case, it was merely a vehicle for FOUR slices of toast, but under normal circumstances it’s a really quick, delicious thing to do with eggs, onions, peppers and tomatoes. Traditionally, menemen is made with green peppers, and the eggs would normally be scrambled into it. I’m not the world’s biggest scrambled egg fan so I prefer it with the eggs cooked whole, but if you want to scramble, simply stir the eggs once they start to set in the pan, and don’t put it in the oven.

Serves 2-3

Time needed: 30 minutes

What you need

1 red onion

A pinch of salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 red peppers, diced

Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

3 eggs

How to make it

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then fry the onion with a pinch of salt until golden brown and caramelised.

Add the garlic, and fry for a further 3-4 minutes until just turning golden.

Then tip in the peppers and stir. Turn down the heat, cover the frying pan and leave to cook for around 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the peppers are softened and browning.

Next, add the tomatoes and the sugar. Stir gently to combine, then fry for another few minutes.

Check the seasoning and adjust according to your taste. Now make three small wells in the fried peppers, and crack an egg into each. If you’re keeping them whole, simply allow to cook until the eggs begin to set and turn white. Finish them off with a blast under a hot grill, until completely set. If you’re scrambling, as soon as the eggs start to set, use a wooden spoon to stir them through the pepper mixture until properly combined.